Telephone system



March 21, 1933. H. ALLEN 130L944 TELEPHONE SYSTEM Filed May 10, 1932 5/ FIG! INVENTOR L.H.ALLEN A TTORNEY position in the coin chute Patented Mare 21, 1933 LAW'RENCE H. ALLEN, OF SUMMIT, NEW

JERSEY, ASSIGNOR E BELL TELEPHONE LABORATORIES, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF YORK TELEPHONE SYSTEM Application filed May 10,

This invention relates to telephone systems and particularly to that type of telephone system commonly known as the prepayment or coin collect type.

It is the practice in prepayment telephone systems in common usage today, to refund money to patrons when attempted calls have not been completed. Unscrupulous individuals have taken advantage of this feature of telephone coin collectors by obstructing the refund chute, thereby preventing the return of the coins to their rightful owners when calls have not been completed. In obstructing the chutes, such individuals employ paper or other suitable material which can be readily removed by them at a later time thereby releasing the coins which were refunded during the period the chute was stufied and held in the chute by the obstruction.

it is the object of this invention to preclude the possibility of thievery at telephone coin collector stations by the act of obstructing the collector coin refund chute.

This object is attained in accordance with a feature of the invention by the provision of a contact mechanism associated with the refind chute which is actuated upon the insertion of an obstruction therein to introduce a quick operating polarized relay in the coin control circuit, in parallel with the usual coin disposal magnet which, upon the application of refund current to the line, operates to effeet a reversal of the leads to the control magnet which then functions to cause the deposited coins to be collected.

Fig. 1 is a circuit diagram embodying the features of the invention;

V is a fragmentary view of a coin collector showing the contact mechanism in and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one form of contact mechanism such as may be employed in connection with this invention.

In the drawing, the invention is illustrated in connection with a coin collector of the type 1932. Serial No. 610,326.

disclosed in Patent 1,04%,219 issued November 5, 1912 to O. F. Forsberg. This patent discloses the usual coin disposal magnet and refund chute, the latter being designed to prevent direct access to the coin control mechanism through the exit opening in the chute.

The refund chute, located within the casing 5 is formed by parallel vertical side walls (not shown) between which an inclined wall 6 is positioned. An opening 7 is formed between these walls through which coins travel in their passage from the coin control apparatus to a vertical opening 8 through which they may be recovered. A baffle?) is positioned between the side walls ofthe coin chute and extends downwardly from the upper edge of the opening 8. This baflle is inclined inwardly into the chute to permit access to the coin wall 10, and at the same time to prevent access to the coin control apparatus through the opening 8.

Contact mechanism 11 is positioned in the rear of the baflie 9 and includes an arm 12 which is mounted on the top horizontal flange 13 of the coin collector housing. An offset portion 14 of the arm 12 is provided with an opening 15 through which a screw 16 extends into an opening in the flange 13 and secures the contact mechanism in position. A vertical portion 17 of the contact mechanism extends downwardly from the arm 12 and lies against a vertical wall of the chute, as shown in Fig. 2. The portion 17 terminates in a substantially L-shaped bracket 18 which carries an extension 19 to provide a mounting for contact springs 20, 21, and 22. Suitable strips of vulcanite or the like are interposed between the springs to properly insulate them from each other, and screws 23, which extend through these ele: ments serve to clamp them together. The spring 22 extends downwardly to a point closely adjacent the rear surface of the baffie 9, and the width of this spring is slightly less than the width of the coin chute. v lfressure upon the spring 22 will close a contact 24: between springs and 21 for the purpose of including the quick acting polarized relay 25 in the coin control circuit.

The mechanism shown in Fig. 3 is so designed as to constitute a unitary structure which may be readily placed in position on existing equipment without any alterations of the latter. The screw 16 which holds the bracket in position is not accessible from the outside, being covered by the usual casing covering.

Special reference will now be made to Fig. 1 in which A represents a central oflice at which the line of the coin collect or prepayment substation B terminates in jack 30.

Under normal circumstances, that is, when the coin collector refund chute has not been stufi'ed or obstructed the system shown in Fig. 1 functions as follows:

A patron desiring a telephone connection deposits a coin 31 in the coin box which causes the contact 32 to be closed whereupon a circuit is established extending from grounded battery 33, winding of relay 34, armature and back contact of relay 35, tip conductor 36 of the line to substation B, conductor 37, back contact and armature of the upper magnet of polarized relay 25, conductor 38, windings of magnet 39, conductor 40, armature and back contact of the lower magnet of polarized relay 25, conductor 41 to ground at the closed contact 32. Relay 34 operates in this circuit and causes the lamp 42 to be lighted in an obvious circuit. The operator, noting this signal, inserts plug 43 of her cord circuit in jack 30 causing relay 35 to be energized by current from battery 44 over an obvious sleeve circuit. Relay 35, operating, releases relay 34 which in turn opens the circuit for lamp 42 which lamp becomes extinguished.

The operator may now communicate with the patron at substation B in the usual manner and obtain the number desired by the patron thereat.

In the event that the desired call is com pleted, the coin collect key 45 is operated and the coin 28 deposited in the coin box in the following manner. The operation of key 45 closes a circuit from grounded battery 46. closed contact-47 of key 45. conductor 48. normally closed contact 49 of key 50. tip contacts of plug 43, and jack 30, conductor 36. conductor 37, back contact and armature of the upper magnet of polarized relay 25. conductor 38, windings of magnet 39, conductor 40, armature and back contact of the lower magnet of polarized relay 25, conductor 41 to ground at the closed contact 32. The coin magnet 39 operates on the current of positive polarity from battery 46 in the well known manner to cause the coin 31 to be deposited in the coin box.

Should the call be incompleted, the operator would actuate her refund key 50 whereupon the coin magnet 39 would operate in a different well known manner from current of negative polarity from battery 51, to cause the coin to be deposited in the refund chute of the coin collector from whence it may be retrieved by the patron.

Should the coin refund chute have been stuffed, the contact 24 would be closed. Under this condition the actuation of the reflmd key 50 by the operator would cause polarized relay 25, which is now connected in parallel with the coin disposal magnet 39 and which is poled to operate on negative current only, would operate and would do so prior to the operation of magnet 39 due to its quick operating characteristics. Relay 25, in operating, reverses the leads of the magnet 39 so that, though current of negative polarity is applied to the coin control circuit from battery 51 by the actuation of key 50, the magnet 39 functions as though the operator had actuated her collect key 45 so that the coin 31 instead of being deposited in the refund chute is deposited in the coin box as a collected coin. In this manner the act of obstructing the refund chute by unscrupulous persons is nullified as far as its purpose is concerned, and such persons are thereby prevented from collecting refunded coins.

It will be noted that relay 25, being poled to operate on current of negative polarity only, does not interfere with the normal operation of the system when the collect key 45 is actuated.

From the foregoing description of the invention it is apparent that any obstruction inserted far enough into the refund chute to escape detection by casual inspection will move the spring 22 to close contact 24 and thereby introduce the polarized relay 25 into the coin control circuit in parallel relation w th the regular coin disposal magnet.

What is claimed is:

1. In aprepayment telephone system, a coin box, a coin disposal magnet, means for actuating said magnet to refund coins deposited in said coin box and electromagnetic means responsive to an unstandard condition within said coin box for causing said magnet to collect coins deposited in said coin box upon the operation of said means.

2. In a prepayment telephone system, a coin box, a coin disposal magnet, a source of current, means for causing current from said source to traverse the windings of said magnet in a certain direction to cause said magnet to refund coins deposited in said coin box and means responsive to an unstandard condition within said coin box for causing a reversal of current from said source through the windings of said magnet for causing said magnet to collect coins deposited in said coin box upon the operation of said first mentioned means.

3. In a prepayment telephone system, a coin box, a coin disposal magnet, a source of current, means for causing current from said source to traverse the windings of said magnet in a certain direction to cause said magnet to refund coins deposited in said coin box and electromagnetic means responsive to an unstandard condition within said coin box for causing a reversal of current from said source through the windings of said magnet for causing said magnet to collect coins deposited in said coin box upon the operation of said first mentioned means.

4:. In a prepayment telephone system, a coin box, a coin disposal magnet, a source of current, means for causing current from said source to traverse the windings of said magnet in a certain direction to cause said magnet to refund coins deposited in said coin box and a quick acting polarized relay responsive to an unstandard condition within said coin box for causing a reversal of current from said source through the windings of said magnet for causing said magnet to collect coins deposited in said coin box upon the operation of said means.

5. In a prepayment telephone system, a coin disposal magnet, means for operating said magnet in a certain manner, a contact, and electromagnetic means efi'ective upon the actuation of said contact for causing said magnet to operate in another manner upon the operation of said first mentioned means.

6. In a prepayment telephone system, a coin disposal magnet, means for operating said magnet in a certain manner, a contact, and a quick operating polarized relay effective upon the actuation of said contact for causing said magnet to operate in another manner upon the operation of said first mentioned means.

7. In a prepayment telephone system, a coin disposal magnet, means for operating said magnet in a certain manner, an electromagnetic device, and a contact device for connecting said electromagnetic device in parallel with said magnet, said electromagnetic device operating under control of said magnet operating means to cause said magnet to operate in another manner upon the actuation of said means.

8. In a prepayment telephone system, a coin control circuit including a coin disposal magnet, means for operating said magnet in a certain manner, a contact, and an electromagnetic device adapted to be included in said coin control circuit by said contact to cause said magnet to operate in a difi'erent manner upon the operation of said means.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name, this 28th day of April, 1932.

LAWRENCE H. ALLEN. 

